


My Kingdom for a Pilot - Deleted Scene

by FreyaOdin



Series: Come Fly With Me Outtakes [5]
Category: Pentatonix, Superfruit
Genre: Angst, Aviation, M/M, Pilots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29682183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaOdin/pseuds/FreyaOdin
Summary: At this point, Scott would be happy to see someone who took a single flying lesson in a Cirrus SR22 ten fucking years ago, or even a rookie controller from a municipal airport in Buttfuck, Wyoming who can work the damn radio.Deleted scene from my longer work Come Fly With Me
Relationships: Mitch Grassi/Scott Hoying
Series: Come Fly With Me Outtakes [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058522
Kudos: 14





	My Kingdom for a Pilot - Deleted Scene

**Author's Note:**

> Like the last one, this scene also suffered from being impossible given the conditions in the cockpit. It was meant to happen right after Mitch learns Scott’s plane is in trouble, and just before Scott is transferred to Matt, who’s working Dallas Approach.

Scott manages to juggle keeping the plane flying while communicating more about his situation to the next controller he speaks to. He answers questions about fuel weight and souls on board, all while descending in stages to better and warmer air as they clear room for him. But there’s too much to do, too much needing his attention. There are reasons airliners aren’t flown solo besides fear of pilot incapacitation, and that’s assuming a fully functional plane.

Once he’s on a straightaway and has a second to think about something other than how not to fall out of the sky, and after he’s reached for and found a pulse in Jeff’s neck, and after he spends an extra moment weighing his need for help against his desire to keep everyone else away from the open fucking window, he presses the Call Attendant button and says, “Cabin crew to the interphone”, over the PA.

He’s just brought up the ILS approach for 18 Right on Roger’s EFB when Nicole calls him a moment later. “What’s happening?”

“I need someone from back there with flight experience. Preferably an airline or military pilot, but I’ll take anyone who can fly and understand the radio.”

She pulls away from the mouthpiece for a moment, and he can vaguely hear her passing the request on to another crewmember. Then she’s back. “We’ll see who we have. Are the others not okay?”

That’s one way to phrase it. “No, they’re not. We’re missing a window. Jeff’s alive, but unresponsive. It’s probably not safe to move him, although we’ll need to anyway if you find me a pilot.”

Nicole responds at the same time ATC contacts him, and he doesn’t quite get either message.

“God, okay. Uh, where’s Ro--”

“--aintain 5000, American 6226?”

ATC obviously takes precedence. “Uh, confirm descend and maintain 5000 for American 6226?”

“Confirmed, American 6226, descend and maintain 5000, if able.”

“5000, American 6226.” He adjusts the plane’s programmed altitude, and warily watches his readings, pleased when everything responds as it should and the plane descends as ordered.

He switches back to Nicole. “We’re diverting to DFW. Ten minutes maybe. It could be a hard landing, so remind everyone how to brace.”

‘Hard landing’ is one hell of a euphemism for how this could go, but he’ll take it over ‘uncontrolled descent into terrain’ any day.

“Okay,” she says, taking a deep breath. Then a nervous-sounding laugh escapes her. “Bet you they actually listen for once.”

No doubt. “How many are seriously injured back there? The airport will want numbers, if there’s time.” If there’s time to find out, if there’s time for Scott to tell them, if there’s time left in any of their lives for it to matter one bit.

“There are a lot of minor ones,” Nicole says, and yeah, Scott figured. “I know of at least two that are serious, one of which is Mary in the main cabin. I’ll try to find out who else.”

Fuck, Mary is a flight attendant. Being down one in this situation is far from good. “Okay, get back to me when you have answers?”

“I will.” She hesitates for a moment, and he thinks she’s going to say something else, but then she just repeats. “I will.”

Okay then.

Chapter Break

Scott knows there aren’t any pilots deadheading or jumpseating on the flight as they would have checked in with the flight crew as they boarded, but he’s hoping someone’s travelling on a ZED fare or even a full revenue ticket. A Delta FO heading home after a European bachelorette. An Air France captain taking their family to Disneyland. A random Air Force vet, US or otherwise, who’s seeing the world in their retirement. An LAPD helicopter pilot coming back from a conference.

At this point, Scott would be happy to see someone who took a single flying lesson in a Cirrus SR22 ten fucking years ago, or even a rookie controller from a municipal airport in Buttfuck, Wyoming who can work the damn radio.

No such luck, he finds out when Nicole gets back to him. There are no pilots, and so he’ll remain on his own. Great. He flashes back to one of the many lectures from his flight school and early airline training days on the dangers of task saturation and swallows the near-hysterical giggle that threatens to bubble up. No need to sound insane on the cockpit voice recorder.

Nicole’s more successful in getting an inventory of the injuries on board. There are four obviously serious ones besides Jeff: three passengers and Mary. He files the information in the back of his mind, something he can’t do much about now but needs to know once they’re on the ground to better coordinate assistance. Apparently no one else is dead, so he’s taking that as a win.

“American 6226,” Center says. “Contact Dallas Approach at 118.425.”

“118.425, American 2662. Thanks.”

**Author's Note:**

> While looking for an additional pilot to assist among the passengers would absolutely make sense given the circumstances, like the last deleted scene, this conversation couldn't happen as written. A few individual lines made it into the final draft because I both liked them and could convert them, but everything else had to go. Instead, Scott tries to contact his cabin crew, but he’s almost entirely unsuccessful and therefore doesn’t bother trying to ask about pilot availability and doesn’t get any information on injuries in the back until after he's on the ground.
> 
> P.S. If you enjoy AUs where Scott and Mitch are doing something completely different from their usual, which you seem to based on reading this, you should check out DabMyWetties' [Bodyslam](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910063/chapters/26910918%22). Bonus points for realism as unlike some people, she’s writing about a career she actually had.


End file.
